Clothes reel



p 1929- A. J. FRANTZ 7 1,727,761

CLOTHES REEL I Fil d u y 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Sept. 10, 1929.

UNITED STATES AXEL J. FRAN'IZ, OF WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS.

CLOTHES. REEL.

Application filed July 6, 1926- Serial No. 120,764.

This invention relates to a clothes reel of the porch. pattern, that is,a reel which may be mounted on a porch or platform and which is adaptedto be opened and projected outp ward from its support when in use.

It is a general object of myinvention to improve theconstruction of sucha clothes reel, making itespecially convenient to operate and verycompact in storage, when not in use.

With this general object in view, one important feature of my inventionrelates to the provision of an improved form of supporting structure forthe reel. 1 also preferably provide means for simultaneously opening thereel as the supporting structure is extended and for closing the reel asthe supporting structure is retracted.

My invention further relates to arrange- 2 ments and combinations ofparts which will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointedout in the appended claims.

A preferred form of the invention is shown in the drawings in which Fig.1 is aside elevation of the reel in extended position; 7

Fig. 2 is a similar view of the reel folded;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the reel in closed position, the openoroperative position being indicated in broken lines; and

Fig. 4 is a detail section elevation to be described Referring to thedrawings, my improved clothes reel is preferably mounted upon an uprightshaft 10, secured by brackets 11 to a post or frame member 12 which mayform a part of a porch or other building structure.

The extensible supporting structure for the reel is of the general typeknown as lazy- .tongs and as shown in the drawingscomprises a link 13pivoted to acollar 14 loosely mounted on the upper end of the shaft 10above the upperbracket 1 1 and held from upward displacement on theshaft by a cross pin 15. A second link 16 ispivoted at 17 to the link 13and'its opposite outer end is pivoted to a collar 19 which is firmlysecured to the upper end of adepending shaft or rod 20.

A third link 21is pivoted at 22 (Fig. 2) to a collar 23 which isfreelyslidable on the link 26. The link 26is pivoted at its center to asleeve 30 which is vertically fixed shaft 10. The link 21 is pivoted atits center to the link 13, as indicated at 24, and at its upper end ispivoted at 25 to a fourth to. the link 16, as indicated at 27, and atitsu outer end is pivoted at 28 to a collar 29, fixed slidable on thedepending shaft 20.- 7

Each of the links may. if desired, be made with double side plates asindicated in Fig. 3, and obviously the number of pairs of links in thesupporting structure may be increased toprovide a further extension ofthe reel away from the supporting post. r

The reel itself comprises a plurality of arms 31 pivoted at 32 (Fig. 4)to a casting or frame 33, rotatably mounted at the'lower end of thedepending shaft 20 but held from vertical movement thereon by cross pins34 and 35. A series of connecting rods or links 36 are pivoted at theirouter ends to intermediate points on the arms .31, as indicated at 37(Fig. 1) and at their inner ends are pivoted at 38 (Fig. 4) toa collar39, freely rotatable upon the lower end of the sleeve 30 but held fromrelative vertical movement thereon. Clothes lines 40 are threadedthrough openings in the arms 31 in theusual way.

A handle 41 (Fig. 1) is securedto the lower end of the link 21 and ahook 42 is mounted on a bracket 43 on the post 12 for a purpose to bedescribed. A U-shaped bracket 44is also secured to the post 12 and isprovided with a removable crosspin 45. i

Having described the details of construction of. my improvedclothesreel, I will now describe the method of operation thereof;

The normal or folded position of the clothes reel is indicated in Fig.2and in full lines in Fig. 3, the-arms of thereel being folded upwardlyand the entire reel and its depending supportingv shaft 20 being drawninward, closely adjacent to the post 12. A

-When it is desired to use the clothese reel, the handle 41 is graspedand pulled upwardly and to the right as viewed in Fig. 2. This actionextends the lazy-tongs or linked structure and moves the shaft 20outwardly away from the post 12 a distance sufficient to permit theclothes reel arms to swing freely Without contacting with the post 12.

As the lazy-tongs is extended, the outer ends of the links 16 and 26necessarily approach each other. As previously described the outer endof the link 16 is secured to the collar 19 fixed on the shaft'20 whilethe outer end of the link 20 is pivoted to the collar 29 which is fixedon the slidable sleeve 30.

Consequently, extending movement of the lazy-tongs causes the'sleeve 30to slide up ward relatively to the depending shaft 20to the positionshown in Fig. 1. This relative upward movement of the sleeve 30 raisesthe innerends of the links or connecting rods 36 and swings theconnecting rods from the do pending position shown in Fig; 2 to theraised I position shown in Fig. 1, at the same time positively spreadingthe arms 31 about their pivots at the lower end of the shaft 20. Preferably the sleeve 30 is raised a sufiicient distance so that the links36 are slightly above horizontal, thus locking the arms 31 from inwardmovement. 2

It will'thus' appear that upward swinging movement of the handel 41 actsto simultaneously extend the supporting structure and open the clothesreel to operative position. After the reel has been opened, it may beheld by the hook42, as indicated in Fig. 1, in a position convenient forhanging the washing thereon, and it may thereafter be swung on the shaft10, until thelink 21 enters the U shaped bracket 44, wherethe link maybe r firmly retained by the locking pin 45.

When the device is to be folded, the operations above described aresimply reversed, the handle 41 being depressed, causing a si--multaneous inward movement of'the ,shaft 20 and folding movement ofthereel arms 31.

I have thus provided an extremely simple and easily operated structure,in which a single movement is sufficient to extend and unfoldthe reel,and a single reverse movement is all that is required to fold andretract the reel- All of the parts are strongly made and firmlysecured'together and the device is yery reliable and elfective in use.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do notwish to be limited to the-details herein disclosed,otherwise than as setforth in the claims, but What I claim is p 5 porch clothes dryercomprising a folding reel, a support therefor, and operating means forsaid reel attached to said support, 1 effective to simultaneously opensaid reel by relative movement of reel parts along the vertical axis ofsaid reel and to extend'said reel from the support by substantial bodilydisplacement of said reel in a horizontal direction. r

2.. A porch clothes dryer comprising a foldingv reel, a supporttherefor, and operating means for. said reel attached to said supportsaid expansible'structure to open said reel by movement of reel partsalong the vertical axis thereof.

4:. A porch clothes dryer, comprising a support and a lazy-tongs, afoldable reel carried by said lazy-tongs, means to extend saidlazytongs, attached to said support, and connections between saidlazy-tongs and said reel, movable relative to each other whereby theextension of said lazy-tongs simultaneously opens said reel.

5. A porch clothes dryer comprising a lazytongs supporting structure,means to extend such structure, means to hold said structure extended, afoldable reel mounted on the free end of said structure, a connectionfrom a portion of said reel to an upper end portion of said lazy-tongs,and ,aconnection from another portion of said reel to a lower portion ofsaid lazy-tongs, whereby the extension of said lazy-tongs in asubstantially horizontal direction willopen said reel by movement of'reel parts along the vertical axis of said reel.

6. A porch clothes dryer comprising a horizontally extensible lazy-tongsstructure, a depending shaft connected to the upper outer end of saidstructure, a sleeve slidable on said shaft and connected to the lowerouter end of said structure, a plurality of arms pivotally connected tothe lower end of said depending shaft, and aplurality of links connectedto intermediate points of said arms and to said slidable sleeve,horizontal extension of said lazy tongs structure causing relativevertical movement of said sleeve and shaft to open said reel. I

7 A porch clothes dryer comprising a fixed frame member, a lazy-tongsstructure pivoted to said frame member, a reel supported by saidlazy-tongs structure for movement to and from an operative position bysaid structure,

connectionsbetween said reel and structure for opening and closing thereel during movement of the structure, a handle on said lazytongsstructure for extending the same to move said reelto its operative andopen position, and means to hold said structure in extended position andto hold said reel in open position.

8. A porch clothes dryer having a support,

an extensible structure attached thereto. av

folding reel mounted on said structure, and

means to extend said structure from the support by a substantiallyhorizontal expansion thereof, said means thereby acting through saidexpansible structure to open said reel by movement of reel parts alongthe vertical axis thereof, subsequent contraction of said expansiblestructure being likewise effective to close said reel.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affiXed my signature.

AXEL J. FRANTZ.

